Minutus

Has anyone got any info on the above. A patient I had in today is taking
this as a painkiller and it is marketed by Quest - a health shop
manufacturer.
All I have managed to find out is that it is an amino acid.
Regards
Rochelle
www.rochellemarsden.co.uk

DL-phenylalanine versus imipramine:
a double-blind controlled study
by
Beckmann H, Athen D, Olteanu M, Zimmer R
Arch Psychiatr Nervenkr 1979 Jul 4; 227(1):49-58

ABSTRACT
In a double-blind study, DL-phenylalanine (150--200 mg/24 h) or imipramine (150--200 mg/24 h) was administered to 40 depressed patients (20 patients in each group) for 30 days. Diagnoses were established according to the International Classification of Disease (ICD). The AMP system, the Hamilton Depression Scale and the Bf-S self rating questionnaire (von Zerssen et al., 1974) were used to document psychopathological, neurologic, and somatic changes. Twenty-seven patients (14 on imipramine, 13 on phenylalanine) completed the 30-day trial. No statistical difference could be found between these two drug treatment groups (Student's t-test) using the Hamilton Depression Scale and the Bf-S self rating questionnaire. Ratings for anxiety were significantly lower in the imipramine group on days 10 and 20, but not on day 30; in addition, sleep disturbances were more influenced by imipramine on days 1, 5, and 10, but not on days 20 and 30. Separate analysis of psychopathological syndromes as somatic depressive syndrome and retarded depressive syndrome did not show a group difference (0.05 level of significance using a two-way analysis of variance). It is concluded that DL-phenylalanine might have substantial antidepressant properties. However, certain methodological considerations still warrant a careful interpretation.

Tanya --

Very interesting, indeed, especialy with the side effects of Imipramine. An
MD friend tells me that the study has a major flaw, however, in that many
people don't respond to Imipramine for at least 6 weeks and the study lasted
only a month. Are there any other studies of this comparison?

Rosemary C. Hyde

Rosemary,

i would have to research this. i just was looking for something that would denote the use of DL Phenylanlanine and thought it would stimulate some gray matter. 30 days is never a very long study, agreed.

tanya

Phenylalanine.
Author/s: Susan Ryan-Vollmar
Issue: Jan, 1999

This essential amino acid fights pain and relieves depression.

WHAT IT IS Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid that plays an important role in mood, memory, and mental alertness.

HEALING CLAIMS Phenylalanine is primarily used to relieve chronic pain and treat depression. It is also said to suppress appetite, increase mental alertness, and boost energy.

HOW IT WORKS Phenylalanine is a molecule consisting of two compounds--D-phenylalanine and L-phenylalanine. D-phenylalanine is credited with pain-relieving properties, and the L form, often used in the treatment of depression, is said to have a stimulating effect.

D-phenylalanine relieves pain by maintaining blood levels of endorphins (naturally produced opiates) and enkephalins (analgesics that also stimulate mental alertness). The body metabolizes L-phenylalanine into tyrosine (a nonessential amino acid). Together, phenylalanine and tyrosine are converted into three neurotransmitters: dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline. These regulate state of mind, mood, and attitude. Low levels of these neurotransmitters have been linked with depression. L-phenylalanine also works with tryptophan (an essential amino acid) to regulate the hormone cholecystokinin (CCK), which sends a feeling of fullness to the brain.

THE EVIDENCE A double-blind study published in a German psychiatry journal showed that phenylalanine was as effective as the antidepressant drug Imipramine. Another study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, found that one to four grams of L-phenylalanine (in combination with vitamin [B.sub.6]) elevated mood in 78 percent of participants. And a study published in a French anesthesiology journal found D-phenylalanine effective against chronic pain of cancer patients, completely eliminating the need for analgesics in 78 percent of the test subjects.

However, even though phenylalanine has gained a popular reputation for increasing alertness and energy, there is no clinical evidence to that effect.

DIETARY SOURCES The average diet can provide from 500 to 2,000 mg of phenylalanine per day. Phenylalanine is found in protein-rich foods such as milk, meat, fish, cheese, and soybeans, and also in foods containing aspartame.

HOW MUCH DO I NEED? Most people get plenty of phenylalanine from their diets. Too much can cause anxiety, headaches, insomnia, and high blood pressure. If you choose to supplement, some experts recommend keeping supplemental intake to no more than 3,000 mg a day.

HOW TO TAKE IT For pain relief, the recommended dosage is 1,000 to 2,000 mg a day, although for severe pain, it may initially be necessary to take up to 4,500 mg. Reduce or discontinue supplementation once the pain subsides. If you are depressed, it is important to get professional help. Michael Hirt, M.D., director of the Center for Integrative Medicine in Tarzana, Calif., prescribes 1,500 mg phenylalanine a day to patients complaining of depression and fatigue.

Hi Rochelle,

Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid which is a precursor to norepinephrine in the brain. Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter for which deficiency is associated with depression.
If taken at night on an empty stomach, phenylalanine passes the blood brain barrier and enters the central nervous system and brain, where it is transformed in two or three steps to norepinephrine. Over a few weeks, the brain's supply of this neurotransmitter rises at the various synapses, producing a rise in the base level mood. Note: this is L-phenylalaline. An isomeric variant, DL-phenylalanine, is used to control perception of pain, (and also is taken on an empty stomach).
If your client is taking one or the other of these correctly and effectively, then it could be masking pain or depression. You should ask about his/her experience of these things before starting the phenylalanine, and why, in fact, it is being taken.

Jenny Decker

Hi Jenny ,
The patient has been taking the Phenylalanine since he last saw me so it's
difficult for me to assess how the remedy I gave him has worked. His problem
is a stomach pain after eating and unless he takes aspirin for the pain by
dinner time he has to vomit to relieve it!! So instead of the aspirin he has
been taking phenylalanine!!
I am still fairly convinced of the remedy so I upped the potency from 30 to
200!!

Regards,
Rochelle
www.rochellemarsden.co.uk